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HAL Tejas | Updates, News & Discussions-[Thread 2]

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Karnataka Bengaluru 23/08/2015 . T. Suvarna Raju
Chairman , HAL in Bengaluru on 23nd August 2015 . . Photo Bhagya Prakash K
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd seeks to lighten LCA burden - The Hindu

Industry to be roped in to make larger chunks of fighter plane.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which manufactures the Light Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, plans to offload to industry larger chunks of the fighter plane to produce than is being done now.

It is working on a process to rope in eight to 12 large industry partners as tier-1 or tier-2 suppliers of bigger ‘modules’ or structures, according to HAL Chairman and Managing Director T. Suvarna Raju. He said an industry partner may gear up to the task over a couple of years.

In a scene where aircraft supplies have been notoriously delayed for various reasons, the strategy is seen to supplement HAL’s capacity, increase production and delivery rates to the IAF.

Mr. Raju, who took over early this year, told The Hindu in a recent interaction that it would allow the public sector Defence company to focus on military aviation projects of the future – the Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, the civil passenger plane and unmanned air vehicles.We are trying to get [certain] modules of the LCA prepared by the private industry. We have given RFIs [the first step of request for information] to those who are interested in being a defence vendor. An RFQ [request for quotation] will follow.

“We have interacted with a few on the fuselage, which gets done in four parts — the front, centre, rear and the wings. We have the jigs and fixtures for them to make, to begin with. They can make on their own later,” Mr. Raju said. The helicopter gear box with its many components was another example.

Mr. Raju said this was its new approach of producing the LCA. It was also ready to look for any Indian vendor to make its other product, the multi-purpose ALH, under licence.

Around 2,600 small and medium enterprises are registered with it. HAL was explicitly spelling out the required numbers. “So far, aircraft components are being made by industry. Now we would like them to be aggregators. We are looking at a minimum of 100 numbers in LCA; 200 in LCH; 200 Light Utility [or observation] Helicopters; and another 150 Advanced Light Helicopters.”

HAL would handhold the industry partners until they were confident.

Industry ecosystem
It would still be the integrator of the warplane, hold the intellectual property rights and maintain the aircraft over the next 40 or so years of their service. Such an industry ecosystem, he said, would eventually take part in military production and benefit from many offsets that would come from original foreign hardware manufacturers.
 
Will Government take Airbus offer on Tejas MK-II?
Published September 5, 2015 | By admin
SOURCE: IDRW NEWS NETWORK (INN)

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European Aerospace major Airbus at Paris Air Show earlier this year offered to assist India in Production of Tejas MK-II aircrafts in India with an Indian Private player. India has responded positively and has held a preliminary rounds of dicussions on the offer.

Sources in MoD have told idrw.org that MOD is now ‘seriously’ examining to establish a private-public partnership (PPP) to fast-track setting up of a manufacturing base for Mk-2 variant in order to bolster the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) declining fighter fleet.

Public sector Company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which enjoys complete Monopoly when it comes to production of fighter jets in India, have been severely criticised by Airforce over the years over constant delays in delivery schedules and poor quality of many systems made by HAL .

Airbus with an Indian partner (Mahindra) are interested in creating a Production line for Tejas MK-2 when the aircraft will be ready by 2021 to enter production. Airbus along with Indian partner wants to be involved with the program from the first flight of MK-2 since it will allow them time to set up the supply chain for the aircraft.

In 2013 Swedish company Saab had submitted a proposal for partnering on designing the Mark II and establishing a manufacturing line for the fighter, which was rejected by Indian MOD and Indian air force.

Tejas MK-II variant which will incorporate more powerful GE F414 engine along with aerodynamic and avionics improvements required to meet ASR of IAF, will also address shortcomings in the MK-1 variant of the fighter jet.

Posted in Exclusive, India
 

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